Valmikinagar PC may witness triangular contest in 2019 LS polls

Speed Post News Network

Bagaha : Valmikinagar, deriving its name  from Valmiki Ashram located on Indo-Nepal border  in West Champaran District,  is serial number one parliamentary constituency of Bihar. The Congress party had represented the seat right since the first General  Elections till year 1984 except for 1977 when the sitting MP Bhola Raut was defeated by  Bhartiya Lok Dal nominee Jagarnath Swatantra in Janata Party wave. Bhola Raut won this seat, earlier known as Bagaha seat, four times.

In 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, Mahendra  Baitha had won this seat five times on the ticket of different political parties while Kailash Baitha  had captured this seat on JD(U) ticket in 14th parliamentary elections in 2004. Bagaha seat was dereseved in 2008 and named Valmikinagar . JD(U) nominee Baidyanath Mahto won the seat in 2009. The BJP candidate Satish Chandra Dubey won the seat in 2014 defeating JD(U)’s Baidyanath Mahto. In 2019 LS polls, the NDA constituent JD(U) is contesting the seat and has again fielded former MP Baidhyanath Mahto  from here.

Mahto is seeking votes  on the development works done by CM Nitish Kumar under “Saat Nishchay Yojna” and PM Narendra Modi’s works including ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna’ , ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi’, and ‘Ujjawala Yojana’.  Gopal Chaudhary of village Serawa under Narawal-Borawal panchayat says, ” Our family members will cast their votes to make  Narendra Modi once again the Prime Minister.

Congress Party has fielded Shashwat Kedar  32, son of former Bettiah MP late Manoj Pandey and grandson of former Bihar CM late Kedar Pandey, a resident of village Taulaha under Ramnagar block in West Champaran District.  Shashwat is striving hard to woo the voters  in the name of his grand-father late Kedar Pandey, who had carved out West Champaran from erstwhile Champaran in 1972. He said that secular fabric will remain only in Grand Alliance Government regime at the Centre. He is new for the area but is relying heavily on the Congress party’s traditional votes along with the RJD votes. Congress MLA from Narkatiaganj Assembly segment Vinay Verma has extended his full support to Shashwat Kedar.

Bahujan  Samaj  Party has fielded Harvard  Business school alumnust and Managing Director of Tirupati  Sugars Mill, Bagaha, Deepak Yadav (42) from the seat. He is expecting good support from Muslims, Yadav  and  dalit voters. But, if the Muslim and Yadav votes  split between Congress candidate Shashwat and BSP nominee  Deepak Yadav, then the JD(U) may have the advantage. Altogether 13 candidates are in fray from the seat. BSP candidate Deepak Yadav  is trying hard to make the contest triangular.

Gulrez Honda, retired bureaucrat and  President of Hikamat Foundation, and Tanzeem of Chhoti  Masjid under Lauria  block,  said that Muslims account for around 22% of the voters in Valmikinagar PC but they have remained neglected. a